Package



Jan. 4, 1966 J. F. HANLON 3,227,359

PACKAGE Filed July 5, 19

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. s flf/awzw J. F. HANLON Jan. 4, 1966 PACKAGE3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1964 INVENTOR c/ JEPH/F film/z o/vATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1966 J, HANLON 3,227,359

PACKAGE Filed July 5, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Tlcli.

Z/d INVENTOR.

(1555 19 f/lr/vzc/v United States Fatent Cfiice Filed July 3, 1964, Ser.No. 380,191

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-66) This invention relates to an improved package andmore particularly to a package comprising a bag of tearable materialsuch as paper in which a commodity is contained and which is providedwith means to facilitate tearing out a panel of the bag to permit readyremoval of its contents. i

The invention has been illustrated in connection with the packaging ofsquare surgical sponges which by way of example are packaged in say,quantities of two hundred (200), in long narrow bags. Such sponges areusually selected for use in multiples of ten or twenty and to 'this end,the machine which makes them acts automatically to displace every tenthor twentieth sponge edgewise slightly out of its normal position in thestack to serve as a marker. When such sponges are packaged in standardbags only the top sponge is exposed when the bag is opened at the top,as is usual and accordingly the facility of selection as reflectedin thedisplacement of every tenth or twentieth sponge isjlost.

In accordance with the invention, a bag is made from a blank of tearablematerial such as paper longitudinally sealed to form a tube and foldedto provide front and rear face panels with an intermediate gussetsection inter- 3 ,227,359 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 packaged material, i.e.,one edge of the gauze sponges in the particular embodiment of theinvention illustrated, thus enabling desired portions of the contents tobe grasped.

A better understanding of the invention may be had from the followingdescription read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package equipped with the presentimprovements;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bag of FIG. 1 illustrating themanner in which parts are folded but prior to the time the folded overbottom portion is secured in place;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one face of a bottom end section of a tubeblank before folding with one panel partly broken away to show theinfolded gusset portions;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the opposite face of the bag shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates folding the tube blank transversely and backwardlyalong itself;

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of the bag after completion of the foldingoperation and adhesion of a portion of the exposed panels to the outsideof the underlying adjacent face panel;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the bottom end portion of the packageshown in FIG. 1 but without contents;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the bottom end portion of a .packagewithout content with the bottom panels connecting the lateraledges ofthe panels and which is infolded along a longitudinal line midwaybetween the lateral edges of the panels to provide gusset portions lyingflat between the face panels. A tube thus folded is severedtransversely'into appropriate lengths to form bags. In thus severing thetubes, there is formed a semicircular tab centrally located along atransverse terminal edge of one panel of the tube. The tube then isfolded transverselyback upon itself for a distance equal approximatelyto half the gusset dimension, the direction of fold being such that aportion of the panel adjacent the terminal edge which presents the tabmay be secured as by adhesion to the underlying adjacent exteriorsurface of the other tube panel. Adhesion preferably is effectedentirely across the panel except for the portion defined by the tab.When such a bag is fully packed, the tab portion protrudes beyond thebottom of the package where it may be readily grasped between thethumband index finger for tearing.

Also, in accordance with the invention, thereis pro-,

vided in that portion of the bag which in use is the bottom panel, aseries of pairs of slits disposed with one slit of each pair in onegroup and the other slit of each pair in another group, the said groupsbeing located substantially symmetrical about a median plane through thebag perpendicular to the transverse line of fold. The slits in each pairangle outwardly fromthe median plane and away from the tab and, startingwith the pair nearest the tab become progressively more separated, thelast pair of slits being close to the marginal edges of the bottompanel. The inner extremities of each pair of slits are more closelyspaced than the outer ends of the pair of slits next nearer the tab.According to such an arrangement, pull on the tab causes tears in thematerial of the bag which diverge toward the lateral edges of thepackage and as the pull is continued, tears occur along the panel closeto the lateral edges thereof being directed or assisted usually by thegrain of the paper so that a large section of the panel is readilyremoved. This exposes the follded but not adhered;

FIG. 10 is an elevation of the bottom of the package looking fromoutside and with various of the parts removed to show what lies beneath;

FIG. 11 is an elevation of the bottom of the package looking fromtheinside;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of the package with thebottom panel partially torn away;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the package reversed top for bottom asregards FIG. 12 and with the bottom panel tear continued into a facepanel; and

FIG. 14 is a perspectiveview of a different embodiment of the inventionin which means are provided for limiting the extent to which the facepanel may be torn to expose the contents.

The invention has been illustrated in connection with the packaging ofgauze sponges S which are substantially square in area. The sponges arepacked facewise, and since substantial pressure is used to squeeze airout of the sponge stack, a package of sponges results which issubstantially square in cross section (FIG. 1). Such a package maycomprise a tube blank 10 having a first face panel 11 and a second facepanel 12 equally spaced throughout their areas when in package form andjoined together by side panels in the form of a gusset 13 which isfolded longitudinally and inwardly so as to present half gusset portion13a, 13b resting facewise against inner faces of the panels 11, 12 towhich the gussets are connected along their lateral edges (FIGS. 2, 3,4, 5, 6). The blank 10 is made by joining longitudinal edges of a blankstrip together along marginal portions thereof as at 14 and theninfolding sections of the tube to produce the gussets just described.

The tube is then severed transversely, usually by tearing against aserrated edge, to provide a longitudinal section 10 appropriate for themanufacture of the completed bag. The severing operation is such that asemicircular tab 15 is provided which projects beyond a trans verse cut16 at one end of the first panel 11 of the blank and which is reflectedby a complementary notch 17 in J the same panel at the other end of theblank. The second panel 12 of the blank is cut away in the vicinity oftab 15 to expose an underlying portion 18 of the inner face of firstpanel 11 and to this exposed portion of the panel there is applied anadhesive in nearly all portions thereof except the tab for a reasonwhich presently will appear. Portions 18a of panel 12 near the foldededges also may have adhesive applied to it.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a dimension X which approximates the width ofgusset 13. Blank is folded back along a transverse line 19 which is adistance a or one-half the gusset dimension X from the transverse edge16 of the blank. After folding has been accomplished, the exposedportion 18 of panel 11 to which the adhesive has been applied isattached to the adjacent outside surface of face panel 12 by activationof the adhesive. Tab is devoid of adhesive and accordingly remainsunattached (FIG. 6).

When the bag has been completed and the package filled, a portion of thefirst face panel 11 will be refiected in the bottom of the package as afirst section 11:: with underlying gusset portions 130 and 13d foldeddiagonally alonglines AE and BE, and a portion of the second panel 12will be reflected as a first section 12a with underlying gusset portions132 and 13 folded diagonally along lines GE and FE (FIGS. 8-11).

Bottom sections 11a and 12a extend inwardly toward each other totransverse fold 19 (FIGS. 8, 9). From the transverse fold 19 said firstand second panels 11 and 12 with their underlying gusset sections 13gand 13h extend in the form of second panel sections 111) and 12b, in adirection and for a distance to locate transverse terminal edge 16 insubstantial coincidence with what now is the lower edge of second panel12 when the package is completed i.e. line GF. Tab 15 will extend beyondedge GF and consequently project beyond the bottom area of the packagewhere its grasping is facilitated for accomplishing the tearingoperation.

From what has been said, it is apparent that the package presents acontinuous bottom panel made up of the first and second sections 11a and11b of the first panel 11. First section 110 overlies the diagonallyfolded gusset portions 13c and 13d, and second section 11b overlies thesecond section 121) with the straight folded gusset portions 13g and 13hnesting in between. Second sections 11b and 12:) as a unit overlie firstsection 12a with its underlying gusset portions 132 and 13 Thecontinuous bottom panel section 11a, 11b, is formed with two groups ofslits 20 and 21 (FIGS. 3, 12, 13, 14), each group being disposedsymmetrically about what may be considered a median plane extendinglongitudinally through the package perpendicular to the transverse fold19. Each group of slits contains a plurality of slits 2.9a, 20b, 20c and26a, and 21a, 21b, 21c and 21d; all substantially parallel and disposedat about an angle of 40 with the lateral side edges of the bottom panel.The slits comprising the pair 20a and 21a nearest tab 15, have theirinner ends within the lateral confines of the tab as defined by slits 22and 23 which extend perpendicularly inwardly from the transverseterminal edge 16 at the base of tab 15. The slits 26a, 21a, divergetoward the lateral edges of the bottom panel where they terminate withtheir outer ends beyond the lateral confines of the tab. Said slits 20aand 21a have their outer ends disposed farther from the median planethan the inner ends of the next adjacent pair of slits 20b, 21b and thesame holds true with respect to the remaining pairs of slits 28c, 21cand 20d, 21d, i.e. the outer ends of each pair of slits are located moreremote from the median plane than the inner ends of the next adjacentpair of slits and also more remote from the transverse edge 16. As shownin FIG. 7 these slits pass only through the outermost bottom panel andwhile the outer ends of the pair of slits most remote are fairly closeto the lateral edges of the bottom panel, such ends preferably terminateabout one-quarter of a gusset dimension 12 away from the edge AB of thebottom section 11a where it meets the first face panel 11. With such anarrangement, there will be always some portion of the bag, either agusset or a panel section, which will underlie the slit so as thereby todiscourage infiltration of dust or dirt.

From what is said it is thought that the manner in which the inventionoperates will be perfectly clear. Referring to FIG. 8, and assuming thepackage is intact, one desiring to gain access to the contents thereofmay grasp tab 15 where it extends beyond the terminal edge GF of thebottom panel and apply a tearing tension. The bag material from the baseof slits 22, 23 will tear along the grain of the material until thetears meet the first pair of slits 20a, 21a (FIGS. 12 and 13). Continuedpull starts a tearing action from the outer ends of slits 20a, 21a untilthe tear lines intersect the second pair of slits 20b, 2112. This actionmay be continued until from the outer ends of the slits 20d, 21d,tearing will follow lines 24, 25 quite close to the lateral edges of thepackage and these tear lines will continue along first face panel 11following the grain of the paper until any desired portion of thecontents of the package have been exposed. Assuming the package containsgauze sponges S and that each tenth one thereof has been partiallydisplaced to indicate multiples of ten sponges, the contents of thepackage may be readily removed in desired amounts.

In FIG. 14 there is illustrated another modification of the inventionwhich in all respects is similar to the modification previouslydescribed except that along toward the end of the first panel 11 thereare provided two other groups of slits 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d and 31a, 31b,31c, and 31d, preferably symmetrically placed about the median plane ofthe package and which are similar to the slits previously described inthe sense that they over-lap, but different in the sense that the firstpair of slits 30a, 31a have outer ends to intercept the lines of tearadjacent the lateral edges of the panel while succeeding slits areprogressively nearer to the median plane. The innermost ends of the lastpair of slits 30d and 31d are sufficiently close to enable a tearreadily to connect these ends to facilitate removal of the torn awaysection of the panel.

The invention has been described in connection with preferredembodiments thereof but many modifications are included within itsspirit. The invention therefor is to be limited only by the scope of theappended claim.

What is claimed is:

A package of commodities comprising a bag in which the commodities arecontained and with opposite first and second face panels interconnectedalong their lateral edges by intermediate gussets normally foldedbetween said face panels when the bag is empty, but unfolded whenextended by the commodities contained in the bag to form side panelstherefor, and a bottom for the bag including, when the gussets areunfolded, a first section of each face panel with its contiguous gussetportions folded diagonally and in underlying relation thereto, saidfirst sections extending in opposite directions inwardly to a generallycommon transverse line disposed at right angles to the lateral edges ofthe face panels, and a second section of each face panel extending inthe same direction outwardly from said common transverse line to atransverse terminal edge and with their contiguous gusset portions inbetween, the first and second sections of said first panel constitutinga continuous outer bottom panel for the bag and being secured along aportion of said transverse terminal edge to said second face panel, aplurality of slits disposed in groups in the continuous bottom panel ofthe bag and located one group on each side of a longitudinally medianplane disposed at rightangles to said transverse fold and with the slitsof each group, starting with the slit nearest the transverse terminaledge of the bottom panel located progressively further fromsaidtransverse edge and progressively nearer a lateral edge of the bottompanel, all of said slits. overlying said gusset portions foldeddiagonally in underlying relationship to said continuous outer bottompanel, and a tab formed in said bottom panel adjacent the transverseedge thereof and protruding therebeyond, the width of said tab being atleast as wide as the inner extremities of the slits nearest saidtransverse edge whereby continuous tension applied to the tab will causethe bag to tear along said outer bottom eral edges of said first facepanel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,363,957 11/1944Goff 22985 2,385,647 9/ 1945 Poppe 22957 3,104,047 9/ 1963 Weeks 22966FOREIGN PATENTS 516,253 9/1955 Canada.

10 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner.

